Mexican, Norse, or Gaelic?

I am pregnant with a little girl.  Our son’s name is Dante Xipil Baltier for a couple of reasons, and the circumstances around this pregnancy are making it hard for me to find a name.

When I MET my husband, one of the first things he told me was that he was going to have a boy, and he was going to be named Dante.  When we found out it was a boy, the ultrasound tech was kind enough to put his name on the picture we took home.  I rattled my brain for weeks, trying to find a middle name for him, when my best friend suggested I look for a name that means “fire.”  Ah, my sick sense of humor couldn’t resist, and I found Xipil, which in Aztec means “noble, of fire.”  So, that was easy in comparison.

I always wanted a little girl named Delphine Lucia, since my great grandmothers were Del Fina and Luz.  Del Fina died on my fourth birthday, and Luz died before I was born.  But Hubby shot down those names with a quickness.  But it didn’t matter, since we were getting Dante.

My best friend, whose name was Christopher Sean, passed away on Halloween last year.  I am hellbent and determined to honor him with this little girl for a few reasons:  1) I got pregnant because Hubby was trying to make me feel better about my loss.  He’s a giver like that! <3 and 2) Had he lived long enough to settle down and get married and have kids, Chris was the kind of guy that would be lucky enough to have had 5 girls, all with him thoroughly wrapped around their fingers.

I hate religious names, but Sean sticks with me, and I want to use it.  I have no problems naming a little girl “Sean” or “Shaughn,” and the last time I was lucky enough to see him, my friend Katie (Kathryn) was kind enough to take me with her to Albuquerque so we could all get together.  So, naturally, I have had my heart set on Shaughn Kathryn Baltier.  It was shot down.  I think it may be because it doesn’t have a darn thing to do with our Hispanic heritage, like Xipil, but as much as I love and celebrate being half Mexican, I walk an old school Norse religious path, but will “settle” for something that sounds Gaelic.  My love has given me almost NO input, except that he noticed on one of her ultrasounds, it looked like the outline of a wolf was there.  So he looked up names that mean “wolf,” and the only one I liked was Daciana, but a good friend that is due in June is naming her little boy Dacian.

So, that’s my dilemma in the smallest nutshell I could muster.  My lifelong best friend, my maternal grandmother (her mother was Luz) is named Bertha (NO!!!!!!!) and her middle name was Celia until she got married and dropped Celia in favor of her maiden name (Ibarra) as her middle name.

If you and your readers can help, I will be eternally grateful!  (I sincerely HATE my name, so this has been really, really hard for me!  She’s going to have to put this on resumes and college applications, and I don’t want her to go through what I’ve been through!)

Sincerely,

Brandy

 

Brandy, you have a lot of considerations here.  First, you need to decide who is most important to honor.

Your friend Christopher Sean appears to take high priority in your mind and I love and admire that you want to honor him with this child’s name.  She will always appreciate having such a special namesake.  But I also think she will appreciate having a tie to her Mexican culture, like her brother has.  In this way, it would be nice to pay homage to one of your family members with Delfina, Luz, Celia, or Ibarra.

I also love the story of the sweet wolf!  How special would it be if she named herself?  Lupe, the Spanish word for “wolf” was my first thought, and it mirrors Dante so well in sound.  It would make a lovely first or middle.  Guadalupe, in honor of the Virgin Mary, is a very traditional name which means “Lady of the River of Wolves.”  Was it meant to be?

Ylva was another gem I found on my search for you.  It is an Norse word for “she-wolf”!  I love the Y initial with Dante Xipil’s X.  Could it not be more perfect???

The meaning of Luz, “light”, would also be a lovely complement to big brother’s “fire.”  I strongly urge your husband to allow you to take the lead naming your daughter.  He decided your son’s name long before he was born, and while of course you both have to like it, I do hope he takes into account your preferences for this child.  How I desire to convince him of the merits of Delphine Luz!

As for Shaughn, I think this name is a flash in the pan I’m afraid to say.  I adore the meaning and how special it is to you, but I think there are better names out there for your daughter.  The spelling here is bizarre and Sean is primarily a man’s name.  Your friend was Christopher after all, and there are so many gorgeous feminizations of this name I urge you to consider.  Many would also pay tribute to your Mexican heritage.  This could be a win-win.  Kathryn also has lovely significance, but it would be so special to keep the family names in the family, as it were.

We wish you all the best and can’t wait to see what you decide on.

 

Suggestions:

Adela- Spanish, “noble”– like Xipil

Araceli- Spanish, “altar of the sky”- could pay tribute to Christopher with the meaning

Belen- Spanish form of Bethlehem, used in Mexico as a given name.

Calixta- Spanish form of the Greek Kallistos, “most beautiful.”  I love how Dante and Calixta are old world names.  You also get the C for Christopher and the X from Xipil.

Celia- A great name in English and Spanish, you are so lucky to have this in your family!  Also a C name for Christopher.

Cristina, Cristiana, Christabel- Lovely names that relate to your friend and also pay homage to your heritage.

Guadalupe- See above– wolf.

Ibarra- For your grandmother.  This may sound odd as a first name to Spanish speakers (?), but could make a wonderful middle.

Lupe- Again, WOLF!

Nereida- Spanish, “sea sprite”, from the Greek.  I’m not sure what your relationship is to the sea, but this name just jumped off the page at me.

Socorro- Spanish, “help, relief”– could represent life after Christopher’s passing.

Violeta- The violet represents love, fidelity, and modesty among other things.

Ylva- Old Norse for wolf.

Ximena- Spanish, may be a form of Simon, meaning “he has heard.”

Xochitl- Nahuatl for flower, used in Mexico.

Xiomara- Spanish, “famous in war.”  A traditional X name that pairs well with Xipil.

 

Combinations I love for you:

Lupe Christabel

Cristiana Ylva

Ximena Christabel

Ximena Ylva

Ylva Cristina

Ylva Calixta Christiane

 

Readers, what names do you love for Dante Xipil’s baby sister?

Image by Diego Rivera